10 top Bible verses for Christmas cards and greetings

Christmas cards and greetings including messages of faith may be particularly memorable and meaningful, as Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. Several Scriptures are especially appropriate for printing on holiday cards or for penning messages inside before signing and sending.

Consider these 10 popular Bible passages for including in Christmas greetings. These verses are listed here in biblical order, with reference links leading to online Bible translations and paraphrases for context and further study. 

“May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26, NLT)

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14, NIV)

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, KJV)

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” (Matthew 1:21, ESV)

"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10b – 11, NIV)

“At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises: ‘Glory to God in the heavenly heights. Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.’” (Luke 2:13-14, MSG)

“The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.” (John 1:14, CEV)

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, GNT)

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15, NASB)

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (James 1:17, NKJV)

Many additional Bible verses may be suitable for Christmas greetings as well. Why not pick a favorite Scripture to write with festive holiday salutations?

NOTE: Written by this author (with verses gathered from multiple Bible translations and paraphrases), this copyrighted material originally appeared on another publisher’s site. That site no longer exists. This author holds all rights to this article. No republication is allowed without permission.

Image/s:
Adapted from public domain art.

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LEGO Bible Stories?

LEGO Bible Stories?

Clearly, the Lord values a childlike spirit and a sense of humor.

Here's one of my own favorite Scripture verses, which displays the high premium of a youthful nature - even in those who are mature.

And He said: 

"I tell you the truth,

unless you change 

and become like little children,

you will never enter 

the kingdom of heaven."

(Matthew 18:3, NIV).

With this spiritual truth in mind, here is a web-site that offers plenty of fun, while illustrating favorite  Bible stories.

Check out The Brick Testament. You may be glad you did.

By the way, am I the only one who thinks the Old Testament Balaam (riding his donkey) looks a little bit like Star Wars' Darth Vader?

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Happy Hanukkah

Happy Hanukkah

Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, began last night. This holiday continues for eight days (through December 19th).

3 Easy DIY Hanukkah Cards

Hanukkah (Chanukah) is the Jewish Festival of Lights. Hanukkah is a wonderful opportunity to send greetings of faith and love to family members and friends. Try these three easy do-it-yourself Hanukkah card crafts to share holiday greetings.

Homemade Hanukkah Menorah Cards

The menorah is the classic symbol for Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, making it an ideal decoration for homemade Hanukkah greeting cards. Try these simple do-it-yourself Hanukkah menorah card crafts for your family and friends.

Homemade Hanukkah Dreidel Cards

The dreidel is an ideal Hanukkah card decoration. The dreidel contains four Hebrew letters to spell an acronym: Nes Badol Haya Sham. Loosely translated, it means, "A great miracle happened there." Try these simple dreidel card designs for Hanukkah.

A Dozen Days to Easter - Making Resurrection Eggs

Easter is coming! Here's a super family project:

You can share the Easter story with your children, using this fun family idea. Make the Resurrection Eggs kit together or purchase it online. (Be ready to start 12 days before Easter Sunday.

 Here's how to construct your own Resurrection Eggs kit.

Purchase a package of plastic refillable Easter eggs, if you don't already have a stash from previous years. Gather the following items, and look up the corresponding Bible verses together. Print the verses out, and cut them apart into strips. (The following verses are taken from the New International Version. Use whatever Bible version you prefer.)

Constructing the Kit:

Number the eggs (1-12) with a permanent marker or numbered stickers. Fill the eggs with the following items and Scriptures (printed on strips of paper):

1. BREAD (Use a toy loaf of bread, a crouton, or even a cracker.)

Matthew 26:26 - While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."

2. COINS (Use real money, toy coins, or foil-wrapped chocolate ones.)

Matthew 26:14-15 - Then one of the Twelve the one called Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins.

3. PURPLE CLOTH (Use a felt square, a purple handkerchief, or a fabric remnant.)

Mark 15:16-17 - The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.

4. THORNS (Use a sharp branch, grapevines, a spiky pine cone, or real dried thorns.)

Matthew 27:28-29 - They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said.

5. WHIP (Use a small length of rope, dental floss, or strong string.)

Mark 15:15 - Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

6. CROSS (Use a little plastic, wooden, or jewelry cross, or make one from toothpicks.)

John 19:16b-18 - So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others, one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

7. NAILS (Use 3-4 small nails or tacks.)

John 20:24-25 - Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

8. SIGN (Use an index card or small sheet of paper.)

Luke 23:38 - There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

9. SPONGE (Cut a small piece of kitchen sponge or use a cotton ball.)

Matthew 27:48 - Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.

10. SPEAR (Use a plastic cocktail spear or a toothpick sword.)

John 19:34 - Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.

11. ROCK (Use a small stone.)

Matthew 27:59-60 - Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

12. EMPTY (Leave this egg empty - without contents.)

Matthew 28:5-6 - The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.

Sharing the Story

Twelve days before Easter, gather as a family and open the first resurrection kit egg. Pass the enclosed object around, as one family member reads the Scripture verse. Discuss what each item means and how it fits into the Easter story.

Each day, until Easter Sunday, open one more egg together. Children may take turns reading the verses together.

Happy Easter! The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed!

Feel free to follow on X. Like this blog?  Check out Practically at Home on Facebook. You are invited to visit my author page on Amazon.com.